Tipping confusion means Britons give away £78 too much during a typical holiday

Travellers admit it can add stress to a holiday

Britons are failing to master local tipping etiquette when they go abroad, a new survey has found.

The poll of 3,000 holiday-makers revealed the uncertainty many feel when away from home, which sees them over-tipping by £78 during the typical nine-day break.

More than one third admitted to lacking in confidence on how to tip abroad, with one quarter knowingly over-tipping. More than one in 10 claimed they had been confronted by a local because they made a tipping faux-pas.

“Heading on holiday should be a real highlight for everyone in need of a well-deserved break," said Chris King at comparethemarket.com, which commissioned the research. “However, it seems millions of Brits are frequently getting themselves tied up in currency conundrums and it’s costing them their sanity.

“We hope our latest fact-checking tool will help people out so they can check out the do’s and don’ts before they jet off – saving their blushes in the process.”

To help tourists tackle the complexities of overseas tipping, the website has created a series of tools and guides to enlighten the travellers and prevent people from overspending.

Four in 10 admitted tipping adds stress to their break and nearly one in five said being in the dark over tipping etiquette had a negative impact on their trip.

Just 16 per cent of British tourists know a 10 per cent tip is expected for a taxi ride in South Africa and a mere one in five aware it is common to round up a bar bill in Norway to the nearest 10.

Only 43 per cent were mindful of the fact you should be tipping a minimum of 15 per cent in an American bar, while just one in five knew you should show gratitude to a taxi driver in Argentina with a 10 per cent tip.

Less than three in 10 know that tour guides in China rely on tip income, with an equal number aware you must tip a concierge at the beginning of a stay in Morocco to get the best service.

SWNS